Newly-published research from NUI Galway shows encouraging early signs for a potential treatment for Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s disease is an inherited neurodegenerative disease that causes serious cognitive and movement defects. Sometimes called Huntington’s chorea, it is debilitating, untreatable and relentlessly fatal. Huntington’s disease is particularly cruel because children are sometimes affected more severely than their parents. Professor Robert Lahue and his team at the Centre for Chromosome Biology and the Galway Neuroscience Centre at NUI Galway, collaborated with scientists at the University of Barcelona. The researchers targeted an enzyme called histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3), which is thought to alter important biochemical mechanisms in the brain of Huntington’s disease patients and thereby accelerate disease progression. The new study published in the journal Scientific Reports shows that blocking HDAC3 with an experimental compound in a pre-clinical model of Huntington’s disease slows cognitive decline and delays the onset of molecular signs of neurodegeneration. NUI Galway’s Professor Lahue said: “While these results are preliminary, the data shows that the onset of Huntington’s disease is delayed when HDAC3 is blocked in this pre-clinical setting. This is an encouraging first step because currently there are no effective treatments that target the root cause of the disease.” Professor Lahue also noted the key role of the Spanish collaborators and co-authors, Dr Silvia Ginés and Nuria Suelves from the University of Barcelona: “Silvia and Nuria are Huntington’s disease experts, and the collaborative nature of this joint project allowed the research to progress into new areas.” Professor Lahue and Dr Ginés have applied for additional funding to develop the treatment further and to assess additional safety aspects. Science Foundation Ireland and the European Huntington’s Disease Network supported the research in Ireland. To read the full study in Scientific Reports visit: www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-05125-  NUI Galway Huntington’s disease video for social media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn2Y38ydxy8&feature=youtu.be -Ends-

A modern play about motherhood and magic Dún na mBan Trí Thine by Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, is a modern Irish play which is currently running in An Taibhdhearc and the O’Donoghue Centre, at NUI Galway as part of the 2017 Galway International Arts Festival.  The play is directed by Anne McCabe and NUI Galway’s Marianne Ní Chinnéide, Perfoming Arts Manager at the university and will run from the 17-30 July. The contemporary play is based on a character named Léiní who is struggling as a wife, a mother with young children, and the desire to be an artist. On top of that, witches from Dún na mBan haunt her and threaten to invade her house. Léiní begins to crack up. Is she losing her mind? Or will she give in to the witches and go over to Dún na mBan? Marianne Ní Chinnéide, Performing Arts Manager at NUI Galway and co-director of the play said: “It's of the utmost importance that contemporary Irish language plays are shown on the international stage and the Galway International Arts Festival provides that opportunity. This play, 'Dún na mBan Trí Thine' is central to Ireland’s canon of feminine literature and this production shows how essential it is to produce Irish language drama for the stage.” Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, has been nominated for The Irish Times Orange Prize for Fiction, “A compelling voice in anyone’s language”. Éilís has worked closely with the directors to create a revised version of the play which was first staged in the Peacock in 1995. Patrick Lonergan, Professor of Drama at NUI Galway said: “This production is a sign of our commitment to Irish language drama and to contemporary drama written by women.” Starring Linda Bhreathnach, award-winning actress and filmmaker. Máire Ní Mháille, Tara Breathnach, Yvonne Laife, and Catherine Denning. Set design is by Tríona Lillis with costumes by Chérie White who designs for Macnas. The stage manager is Rae Penelope Visser from Fíbín. The play is as Gaeilge with English-language surtitles. For tickets see www.giaf.ie and the festival box office on Forster Street. #GIAF17 -Ends- __________________ DÚN na mBan Trí Thine - The Fairy Fort Is On Fire Dráma comhaimseartha faoi mháithreachas agus draíocht Is dráma Gaeilge comhaimseartha é Dún na mBan Trí Thine le hÉilís Ní Dhuibhne atá á léiriú in Amharclann na Taibhdheirce agus in Ionad Uí Dhonnchadha in OÉ Gaillimh faoi láthair mar chuid d'Fhéile Idirnáisiúnta Ealaíon na Gaillimhe 2017.  Is iad Anne McCabe agus Marianne Ní Chinnéide, Bainisteoir na dTaibh-Ealaíon in OÉ Gaillimh, stiúrthóirí an dráma, agus beidh an dráma le feiceáil ar stáitse idir 17-30 Iúil. Léiriú comhaimseartha ar shaol an charachtair Léiní a fheictear sa dráma seo, carachtar atá ag streachailt mar bhean chéile, mar mháthair a bhfuil clann óg uirthi, agus lena mian slí bheatha mar ealaíontóir a bhaint amach. Ina theannta sin, tá cailleacha ó Dhún na mBan á ciapadh agus ag bagairt go dtiocfaidh siad isteach ina teach. Tá Léiní ag dul ar mire. An bhfuil sí ag cailleadh na meabhrach? Nó an ngéillfidh sí do na cailleacha agus a haghaidh a thabhairt ar Dhún na mBan? Deir Marianne Ní Chinnéide, Bainisteoir na dTaibh-Ealaíon in OÉ Gaillimh agus duine de chomhstiúrthóirí an dráma: “Tá sé ríthábhachtach go bhfeicfí drámaí Gaeilge comhaimseartha ar stáitsí idirnáisiúnta agus tugann Féile Idirnáisiúnta Ealaíon na Gaillimhe an deis sin dúinn. Tá an dráma seo 'Dún na mBan Trí Thine' lárnach i gcanóin litríochta feimineachais na tíre seo, agus léiríonn sé go soiléir cé chomh riachtanach agus atá sé drámaíocht Ghaeilge a chur ar stáitse.” Ainmníodh Éilís Ní Dhuibhne don Orange Prize for Fiction as “glór a bhfuil meas air beag beann ar an teanga ina bhfuil sé” The Irish Times. D'oibrigh Éilís go dlúth leis na stiúrthóirí chun leagan leasaithe den dráma seo a chur ar fáil, dráma a cuireadh ar stáitse den chéad uair riamh sa Phéacóg, Amharclann na Mainistreach in 1995. Deir Patrick Lonergan, Ollamh le Drámaíocht in OÉ Gaillimh: “Is comhartha atá sa léiriú seo ar cé chomh tiomanta agus atá muid do dhrámaíocht na Gaeilge agus do dhrámaíocht chomhaimseartha atá scríofa ag mná.” Ar na haisteoirí a bheidh le feiceáil ar stáitse, beidh Linda Bhreathnach, aisteoir a bhfuil duaiseanna go leor bainte amach aici agus déantóir an scannáin Adulting, Máire Ní Mháille, Tara Breathnach, Yvonne Laife agus Catherine Denning. Is í Tríona Lillis an dearthóir seit agus is í Chérie White, a dhearann cultacha do Mhacnas, an dearthóir cultacha. Is í Rae Penelope Visser ón gcomhlacht drámaíochta Fíbín an bainisteoir stáitse. Tá an dráma á léiriú i nGaeilge le fortheidil Bhéarla. Féach www.giaf.ie agus oifig na Féile ar Shráid Forster chun ticéad a chur in áirithe. #GIAF17 -Críoch-

A mini-conference in conjunction with Path Breaking Women of NUI Galway: 1912-1922 and beyond Some of NUI Galway’s most remarkable - but little known - women over the last century will be celebrated and remembered this Friday, 21 July as a fascinating programme of talks and performances will take place entitled ‘Women in history, politics and culture’. The mini-conference takes place in conjunction with the exhibition Path Breaking Women of NUI Galway: 1912-1922 and beyond, which was officially opened by former EU Commissioner Máire Geoghegan Quinn earlier this year, and on display at the Hardiman Library exhibition space through to September 2017.  Dr Claire McGing from Maynooth University will explore the careers of two erstwhile UCG students in the 1930s, who went on to be pioneering women parliamentarians in 1950s Ireland – Maureen O’Carroll (1913-1984), mother of actors and writers, Brendan and Eilish O’Carroll, who became the Labour Party’s first female TD, and Celia Lynch (1908-1989) born in Duras House, Kinvara, Co. Galway, who became the first woman Fianna Fáil whip, and was the longest-serving female TD when she retired in 1977. Traversing politics and culture, the poems of the inspirational sean nós singer, writer, poet and actor Caitlin Maude (1941-1982), a graduate of UCG, will be performed by the talented writer and actor, Caitríona Ní Chonaola, with an overview of Maude’s life presented by poet and director of the Irish Studies Centre at NUI Galway, Dr Louis de Paor.  Looking back to early decades, the opening session, chaired by historian, NUI Galway’s Dr Sarah Anne Buckley, will feature a keynote presentation by Dr Nadia Smith from Boston College. Smith will discuss the life and times of the impressive Galway woman and outspoken champion of diverse political, social and cultural causes, Mary Donovan O’Sullivan (1887-1966), who became UCG’s first Professor of History in 1914. Dr Smith will also talk about Síle Ní Chinnéide (1900-1980) who was born into a Catholic nationalist family in Waterford and active in the Irish language revival and was appointed Lecturer in History (through Irish) at UCG in 1927. A striking figure on campus, known for smoking cigarillos in a holder, Nadia Smith notes, Ní Chinnéide advised students “it would do them no harm to read certain works on the Vatican Index of Forbidden Books.”  The event runs from 11.00am to 3.30pm in the NUI Galway Hardiman Research Library. It is free and open to the public, but spaces are limited and anyone who would like to attend should rsvp to: lydia.kelly@nuigalway.ie. The Path Breaking Women project, is led by Niamh Reilly, Established Professor of Political Science and Sociology at NUI Galway. It was supported by Irish Research Council New Foundations Scheme 2016 and is co-sponsored by the School of Political Science and Sociology, the Centre for Global Women’s Studies, Gender ARC and the Moore Institute at NUI Galway. The Exhibition runs until September 2017 in the library exhibition space at NUI Galway. For more information see: www.nuigalway.ie/pathbreakingwomen -Ends-